By Amber Graham/ Photos by Kelly Carr

These bracelets would be a great gift for girls to make for their friends, or for moms and daughters to make together for nieces and cousins.

They would also make great stocking stuffers!

Gather your supplies:

Jewelry Elastic

Beads

Ribbon

Matches or a Lighter (not pictured)

First, you will cut a length of elastic about 18″ long. Fold it in half. Using the elastic doubled up in this manner will make your bracelet stronger.

String the beads onto the doubled up elastic. We made our bracelets for little girls. A bracelet that is 5-6″ long is great for a little girl. A length of 6.5-7.5 is perfect for an average sized lady.

Once you reach your desired length, tie elastic ends in a square knot. Double or triple knot for added strength and trim excess elastic.

Tie a bow with your ribbon to cover the elastic knot. Trim ribbon.

Use your lighter or matches to heat seal the cut edges on your ribbon to prevent fraying. I suggest practicing this on scrap ribbon first. Apparently some ribbon will catch on fire and make your house stinky. Ahem.

These are our final projects for this year’s Gift Giving 101 series… we hope that you have enjoyed it! Our hope and prayer is that as we enter a season marked by sharing and giving that the crafts you make will bless both the giver and the receiver, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

We also would like to give a heartfelt “thank-you” to Amber Graham and Kelly Carr for their excellent research, creative talents and hard work to make this 2011 Gift Giving 101 series possible. Thank you ladies!

Be watching for upcoming articles on holiday hospitality, family Advent celebrations, recipes and more!

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